Marinol VS THC: Are There Any Differences ?

While the government claims that cannabis has no medical value and a high potential for abuse (Schedule I Substance), it has no problem in scheduling Marinol (a synthetic version of THC) as a Schedule III substance.

It is literally man-made THC dissolved in sesame oil. Dronabinol, which is the generic term for Marinol is considered a cannabinoid. While structurally very similar from a chemical perspective, Marinol is pure THC whereas using cannabis contains several other cannabinoids and terpenoids within it.

Before we jump into the differences between the synthetic version and the real one, let’s see what Marinol is being prescribed for.

Wasting Syndrome (HIV/AIDS)

One of the first reasons why cannabis was made legal back in 1997 was because it helped HIV/AIDS patients deal with extreme weight loss. Wasting Syndrome, as it is called, is due to either a loss of appetite or the body’s ability to absorb nutrients due to the presence of the virus.

Marinol is prescribed to patients who suffer from wasting syndrome in states that do not have medical marijuana laws on the books.

Nausea From Chemo

While usually the last resort, Marinol is also prescribed to combat nausea created from chemotherapy. Chemo therapy is a horrendous process where you’re entire body gets injected with chemicals in the hopes of killing of the cancer. The side effects are not pleasant.

The problem with it is that it comes in pill form, meaning that patients, despite their nausea has to fight to keep it down. Unlike cannabis, which can be inhaled.

The Difference Between Cannabis And Marinol

While Marinol and THC are very similar chemically speaking, the cannabis plant as a whole provides more medical relief and benefit.

Firstly, Marinol usually comes in a pill and has no other accompanying cannabinoids. This means that you are getting pure THC. As a result, the side effects of THC can become more prevalent when using marinol.

What are these side effects?

Euphoria

Extreme Paranoia

Hallucinations

The euphoria bit we can all handle. It’s the other two that scare us.

The reason why extreme paranoia and hallucinations aren’t common side effects with cannabis is due to the fact that it contains CBD in it as well. People typically do not consume pure THC when they are ingesting marijuana.

They usually take plant extracts which contains not only THC, but CBD, CBG, CBN and a plethora of Terpenoids with their own medical properties.

THC and CBD interact in such a way that where THC makes you higher, CBD mellows you out. It’s the counter balance to the high.

Medically speaking, THC is only the tip of the iceberg. The rest of the cannabinoids all contain powerful medicinal properties such as anti-bacterial, anti-viral, analgesic properties, anti-inflammatory properties and much more. If we were to got through the entire list, we’d have to write a book about it.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, while THC and Marinol are similar, people tend not to ingest pure THC from the cannabis plant. Sure, ‘dabs’ might have a high THC count, but it still contains other cannabinoids within it. Thus, while Marinol might provide some medical relief, it would never compare to the real thing.

Additionally, if you want the THC without the high, you could always juice raw flower and ingest 100% of THCa the plant holds along with all the other cannabinoids in the mix.

The truth of the matter, the mere existence of Marinol is an insult to the people considering that cannabis is classified as dangerous as heroin.

While the government claims that cannabis has no medical value and a high potential for abuse (Schedule I Substance). It has no problem in scheduling Marinol (a synthetic version of THC) as a Schedule III substance.

Marinol is literally man-made THC dissolved in sesame oil. Dronabinol, which is the generic term for Marinol is considered a cannabinoid. While structurally very similar from a chemical perspective, Marinol is pure THC whereas using cannabis contains several other cannabinoids and terpenoids within it.

Before we jump into the differences between the synthetic version and the real one, let’s see what it is being prescribed for.